A blog about outdoor, self-propelled journeys exploring the Saskatchewan prairies and beyond

The Bicycle Fleet

The bicycle fleet in the stockyard is currently grounded from bicycle touring. They are in fact all set up primarily for urban commuting. They may occasionally see a recreational half-day trip. I will be adding info to this page on the bicycle fleet in the future.

Most of my bicycles are cheap low end bikes I have purchased used, as urban commuting can be hard on the bikes, especially during the 6 months of winter. Below are random notes on the bicycle’s history, modifications and accessories. This will become more organized in the future (hopefully).

1991 Voyageur

Low end mountain bike purchased new from Consumers Distributing. A big purchase at the time, I think it was $150?

Only bicycle used for touring to date. Plan to use a better bike for touring in the future.

My only bicycle until around 2005.

Ironhorse #1

Purchased used around 2005 for $350.

Intended for recreational light-duty off-road riding.

Ended up being used primarily for commuting, while the Voyageur was parked for about three years.

Installed new drivetrain (rear cassette, chain and front chainwheel) in 2012, as the original drive-train was skipping due to wear.

Purchased used for $100 for the purpose of supplying a second front wheel for the now winter commuting Ironhorse #1. This way I can quickly switch out steel studded tires with regular tires during chinooks and prolong the life of the steel studded tires to many years.

I bought this bike for commuting, to eventually replace the 1991 Voyageur (I’m growing weary of changing out the bottom bracket every few years), and to maybe use for light touring in the future. I’m not sure yet if I like the idea of hydraulic brakes, but the price was right on this bike so I’ll see how they hold up over the years.

Overlooked in the past, now an important aspect of cycling such that I invest in good quality clothing as a higher priority to good quality bikes (for now, planning to gradually shift the fleet to better quality machines over time).